Serum HER2 levels are increased in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: The use of trastuzumab, an antibody against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, is related to cardiotoxicity.

Aims: To investigate whether serum HER2 is increased in heart failure patients and related to disease severity.

Methods: Serum HER2, plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and its soluble (s) receptors (sTNF-R1 and 2) were determined with ELISA in chronic heart failure patients and age and gender-matched healthy controls.

Results: Serum HER2 was higher (P=0.013) in 50 heart failure patients (18 female; median age 57 (range 33-77) years), mean 12.1+/-S.D. 2.3 ng/mL, than in 15 controls, 10.4+/-2.6 ng/mL. Serum HER2 levels correlated inversely with left ventricular ejection fraction (P=0.037) and were highest among NYHA class III patients, followed by NYHA class II patients and controls (P=0.029, Kruskal-Wallis test). STNF-R1 (P<.001) and sTNF-R2 (P=0.015) were higher in patients than controls, and correlated positively with HER2 (P=0.027 and P=0.036, respectively).

Conclusions: Serum HER2 levels are increased in chronic heart failure patients. Further research is necessary to determine whether HER2 plays a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure.